Stone facing for frame buildings



April 10, 1934. M. T. BENNETT 1,954,611

STONE FACING FOR FRAME BUILDINGS Filed March 15, 1930 O o O P i Z. 4 L. 13'; W

Patented Apr. 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE Application March 15,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved stone veneer facing for buildings.

As is well known to those who are familiar with the art to which the present invention relates,

- it is an old practice to apply a stone veneer as a means of finishing the outside of buildings, especially frame buildings, and heretofore, it has been the custom to space the stone blocks a sufiicient distance from the sheathing or other form of outer face of the building to permit the insertion of an intermediate layer of mortar, principally for the purpose of compensating for unevenness of the surfaces and irregularity of dimensions of the stone blocks. Also, when these stone blocks are placed upon each other in successive tiers, it has been the custom to provide a layer of mortar between their adjacent horizontal surfaces as a means of compensating for any irregularities in these surfaces also. At

times there have also been employed suitable spacing means between the horizontal surfaces of the adjacent stone blocks for the purpose of preventing the weight of the blocks from forcing the mortar out upon the front face of the blocks. Means have also been inserted between the horizontal faces of the stone blocks for the purpose of securing the same to the sheathing or other unfinished face of the building.

As is well known in 'the present art, mortar can be successfully applied only during certain temperatures, and the construction of a veneer in the manner above briefly described is therefore limited to certain seasons of the year. Also the position of the spacing or attaching means which, as above stated, have been placed between the horizontal faces of the stone blocks, is apt to result in the cracking of the stones resting thereupon because of the weight which is imposed upon such projections at these points.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to devise a form of stone veneer in which the stone blocks have machine-finished surfaces placed in direct and dry contact with each other throughout the entire extent thereof without the interference of any projections which might cause the cracking of the stone due to its weight upon such projections or irregularities, and also without the use of mortar.

Other objects will appear from the following specification and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

Fig. l is a perspective view of my improved form of stone veneer as applied to a wooden building; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one 1930, Serial No. 436,235

of the stone blocks; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the stone blocks to be arranged at the corner of the building.

Although the present invention is here shown as applied to a wooden building, yet it is to be understood that the same invention may be employed in connection with other forms of building, and that there may be devised certain modifications or variations in the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. The present disclosure is merely for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention herein set forth;

I'he sheathing 1 represents conventionally the outer surface of an unfinished frame building and has applied thereto the water-proofed paper 2. According to the present invention, the stone blocks for the veneer are applied directly to and in immediate and dry contact with the surface of the paper 2. The stone blocks, according to applicants invention, are provided with smooth surface 3 especially upon the top and bottom and also upon the rear and front surfaces, if so desired. These smooth surfaces may be all squared with respect to each other so that the inner surfaces will be true and plumb and as a result, there will be exact fit throughout the bedjoints between upper and lower blocks, and the stone blocks may be applied directly to the paper 2 without requiring interposition of mortar for the correction of any inaccuracies of the surface or irregularity in the dimensions of the stone blocks. With the machine-surfaced bed-joints, the stone blocks when applied in direct contact with each other without the employment of mortar or like material between such surfaces, are in no danger of the weight of the superposed blocks causing any cracking of the same, as would otherwise result from projections or irregularities between such adjacent surfaces or a lack of exact fitting of the surfaces to each other. These stone blocks in the present case are arranged in successive vertical tiers and their vertical joints are staggered, as indicated in Fig. 1.

In setting the lowermost tier of stone blocks, the foundation is extended sufficiently to receive the same and is provided with a level and sufficiently smooth surface so that the first tier of blocks may be placed thereupon in the manner above described, that is, without the employment of mortar and without the danger of irregularities in the contacting surfaces causing cracking of the blocks. Asa means of maintaining the successive tiers of stone blocks in vertical arrangement against the unfinished wall of the building without danger of bulging or falling outward, I have provided grooves in the vertical edges of the blocks through which may be driven nails or screws into the sheathing 1, The one end of each block is provided with the grooves 4 which may be of substantially rectangular cross-section with curved bottom and slightly larger than the diameter of the nail or screw 5 so that when the ends of the adjacent blocks are brought together, the head of the nail or screw will span across the joint and hold both blocks without the body of the nail contacting the adjacent stone block. As each block is placed in position, the nails or screws are applied to the grooves of the block, but are not fully driven into position until the next block has been placed in position and the other end thereof provided with the nails or screws in the same manner as just described. Then the first nails or screws are completely driven into position, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and so on. .Any suitable form of nail or screw may be employed for this purpose, although it is preferred that such attaching means be either provided with an enlarged spring form of head to engage the block with more or less resiliency, or that a spring Washer be provided between the head of the nail or screw and the surface of the stone at this point. Such attaching means may also be provided, if so desired, with a double washer or doublehead as a means of facilitating the removal of the same without endangering the face of the stone.

The horizontal surfaces of the blocks may also be provided with such grooves for the application of the nails or screws, especially in the case of very long blocks or blocks which are arranged adjacent to the frame of a window. That is, in case it should be necessary to cut off the end portion of One of the preliminarily formed blocks in order to fit the window frame, then the grooves 4 may be provided in the top surface of the block. In such case, these grooves may be formed of such depth that the body of the nail or screw will not extend above the surface of the block but will lie completely below such surface. Such provision is for the purpose of permitting the placing of other stone blocks upon the upper surface thereof with the grooves 4 in the end portion of the upper blocks rather than in the lower surface thereof. Thus, there is avoided any danger of the nail or screw causing cracking of the upper stone block as might otherwise result from the weight of the block upon such attaching means. In Fig. 4, there is illustrated the location of the grooves 4 in the upper surface of a stone block which in this case is formed to fit the corner of the building. By providing the grooves 4 upon the upper surface of such a cor ner block, there also results the advantage of being able more securely to maintain such block in position than if the grooves were provided upon the comparatively remote end portions of such an extended form of block. As clearly indicated in the drawing, the stone blocks may be rabbeted along their four marginal portions for the sake of providing a finished appearance, as Will now be more fully explained. The rabbeted edge portions 6 of adjacent stone blocks supplement each other so as to provide grooves to receive plaster over the joints between the stone blocks. The heads of the nails or screws which, as here clearly illustrated, are in the bottom of such grooves, will also be covered by this finish of plaster 7, and the veneer is then complete.

By virtue of the accurately dressed faces of the stone blocks, they may be applied directly to the sheathing 1 or other unfinished building, without having to resort to an intermediate layer of mortar, as has heretofore been the practice for the purpose of obtaining a perfectly plumb condition. Also, as before explained, the horizontal machined surfaces of the blocks permit them to be placed in direct and dry contact throughout their entire extent without having to resort to the use of mortar as a means of correcting the level of the tiers of blocks, and without having to compensate for the otherwise comparatively rough surfaces which might cause cracking of the stone blocks, as before explained. Also, the stone blocks in the present invention are securely maintained in proper position against the unfinished wall of the building by an effective and conveniently applied securing means without any interference with the direct contact of the blocks with each other.

The stone veneer, according to the present invention, can be constructed during any season of the year. The veneer, as here disclosed, can be constructed even during the colder seasons of the year when it is practically impossible to apply mortar, plaster, or the like to outside construction, and the application of the plaster finish in the grooves formed by the rabbeted edge portions can be postponed until a suitable season without causing any interference with 10.5 the construction of the building. If so desired, the blocks may be rabbeted along only two edges.

Because of the staggered joints between the stone blocks, as illustrated, they should be of uniform height and their top and bottom surfaces should be parallel. However, instead of the top and bottom surfaces being squared with the vertical faces, they might be somewhat inclined for drainage of the joints, if so desired. It is understood, of course, that such inclination will not be great enough to interfere with the stone blocks being supported upon each other. In any event, these surfaces should be uniform in all cases so that there may be obtained proper interengagement between the stone blocks throughout.

Also, in some cases, it might not be necessary to smooth the rear surface of the stone block, if the projecting portions thereof be in the same plane so as to engage properly with the surface of the building.

Other modifications will suggest themselves to those who are familiar with the art to which the present invention relates, all within the scope of the following claim.

The present invention reduces the cost of construction of such a building because of the omission of the mortar, and the saving in labor. At the same time, there results a construction which is efiicient and attractive.

What I claim is:

A building wall comprising a main supporting wall structure having a substantially true plane outer face, a plurality of courses of stone slabs, each slab having a substantially smooth true 140 plane back surface brought and maintained in direct and dry contact with the plane surface of the building wall structure, and substantially smooth true plane top and bottom surfaces extending at right angles to the back surface, 145 whereby the blocks in adjacent courses may be brought into direct, dry and continuous contact with each other and with the slabs in adjacent courses throughout the entire extent thereof without the use of levelling material, each of said 150 enlarged head engaging the face of the block Within said rabbet adjacent said groove, whereby slabs in each course are supported in their entirety by the next lower course and are held against the Wall structure.

MILLS T. BENNETT. 

